ACTS
“A Chance To Serve” (ACTS) is a community youth leadership program that places youth on local boards and committees after participating in a series of five day-long leadership training sessions. Purdue Extension Hamilton County partners with local community leaders to provide an opportunity for the youth to participate and be active members on boards and committees.
Each year freshmen and sophomores from local high schools participate in training days covering leadership topics such as communication, servant leadership, philanthropy, community, and consensus building. At the end of the program participants are selected to serve on a board in their local community such as Purdue Extension, food banks, Relay for Life, local Youth Assistance Programs, and high school foundation boards.
Established in 1999, the ACTS Program has been supporting and growing young community leaders for more than 20 years. If your school or community organization would like to learn more, contact Purdue Extension Hamilton County for more information.
Incoming participants view your orientation video here.
ACTS Orientation Video by Purdue Extension Hamilton County
Partnering schools: Guerin Catholic, Hamilton Heights, Hamilton Southeastern, Noblesville, Sheridan, and Westfield high schools.
Supported by corporate sponsors: Beck’s Hybrids, Hamilton County Community Foundation, Breathe Easy Hamilton County, and Little Caesars.
Contact Us
Maggie Herrington
ACTS Program Coordinator
2003 Pleasant St.
Noblesville, IN 46060
o: 317-776-0854
mherrington@purdue.edu
The A Chance to Serve (ACTS) Program was piloted in 1999 with a small group of students from Hamilton Southeastern High School. Westfield High School joined in 2003, followed by Guerin Catholic High School in 2005.
In 2014 the program doubled in size, adding Noblesville, Hamilton Heights, and Sheridan high schools. To facilitate the "small group" feel for the training days, Purdue Extension staff doubled their program hours by creating a Fall ACTS Session and a Spring ACTS Session. Hamilton Southeastern, Noblesville, and Westfield high schools participate in the Spring Session. Guerin Catholic, Hamilton Heights, and Sheridan high schools participate in the Fall Session.
The ACTS Youth Leadership Program has grown from six students at HSE to 60 students per year from schools all over Hamilton County.
The ACTS Youth Leadership Program is unique in that when the youth complete their training days, they are placed on a community board or organization for one year. The youth serve as an active, participating voting member of these groups, providing a youth voice and perspecitve for their organizations.
Purdue Extension is proud to partner with the following community organzations to place ACTS graduates with their programs:
Breathe Easy Hamilton County Youth VOICE Council
Hamilton County Extension Board
Hamilton County Relay for Life
Hamilton County Youth Assistance Program
Hamilton County Youth & Family Alliance
Hamilton Heights Education Foundation
Hamilton Southeastern Education Foundation
Noblesville Schools Education Foundation
Purdue Changemakers
Nickel Plate Arts
We Are Sheridan
Westfield Washington Education Foundation
Do you want to get your school involved? Do you think your local community organization would benefit from a youth perspective? ACTS is a living, ever-changing, growing program and welcomes new partners. Contact the Purdue Extension Hamilton County Office for more information. 317-776-07854.